The world dances in Switzerland

The Migros Culture Percentage Dance Festival Steps is the largest contemporary dance festival in Switzerland. It takes place in spring every other year. An unmistakable characteristic of the festival is its decentralised structure. Steps distributes dance over the whole of Switzerland. During a period of three weeks, over ten international dance companies tour the country performing on a wide variety of stages – from state theatres, to alternative arts centres and village halls. In addition to the roughly 90 performances, the festival also organises workshops for schoolchildren and professional dancers as well as a symposium.

The programme displays the versatility and the wide range of forms and styles in contemporary dance as well as new trends. Thus, narrative creations can be seen together with neoclassical productions and contemporary experiments.

An own production of the Migros Culture Percentage, the festival is supported by the largest retail chain in Switzerland. The foundation for this exceptional engagement was laid down over fifty years ago by the company's founder, Gottlieb Duttweiler, when he set out in the company charter that a business should involve itself in society to a level correspondent with its economic importance. In exactly the same way as Migros brought foodstuffs directly to the consumer with a lorry in the 1930s, eighty years later, Steps brings dance to the whole country. The operation of the festival can be compared to that of a wholesaler: Steps engages the best dance productions from all over the world, organises tours throughout Switzerland for them and arranges local performances in cooperation with regional theatres and event organisers.